blogginNagoya: entrelac kinchaku

At the mall the other day I saw an elderly man in his drab blue yukata top and matching knee-length shorts and wearing sandals sitting in the rest area, fanning himself with a sensu in one hand and holding a bottle of drink in the other, surely trying to cool himself off the current summer heat wave.

In summer, many men and women, boys and girls wear the yukata, a casual summer kimono made of cotton. It is especially worn at summer events during fireworks displays and bon-odori festivals. The sensu or uchiwa, and geta (sandals) are accessories of the yukata. Other accessories are the sash (worn around the waist in womens’ yukata), and kinchaku (drawstring carrybag).

This kinchaku pattern is knitted in-the-round beginning from the bottom up. I have knitted two versions of the bag, the first version slightly larger than the second version. Both versions are flat-bottomed, with version A knitted with a pattern of twin stem leaves after the entrelac section, and version B simply entrelac pseudo-in-the-round all the way up to the ‘neck’. The entrelac stiches in this pattern are repeats of 6 sts per base triangle. For both versions, I inserted a few eyelets for the drawstring, at the neck. The drawstrings are a pair of 3 st i-cord, 48 cm long in version A, and 32 cm in version B.

Materials

Needles: A set of four 3.3 mm DPNs, a pair of 2.1 mm DPNs, and one 3.9 mm DPN for the loose bo.

Yarn: 1 ball of Flower Garden (cotton 50%; acrylic 50%); 30g (84m) per ball; per colour.

Colour A: pink mix;

Colour B: yellow mix.

Gauge: 26 sts in 10 cm, 20 rows in 5 cm in St st.

Finished measurements:

ver.A: 18 cm (width) x 15 cm (height);

ver.B: 14 cm (width) x 13 cm (height).

Instructions

Versions A & B.

For ver.A, use Colour A, continue until Rnd 17 [72 sts].

For ver.B, use colour B, continue until Rnd 13 [54 sts].

Co 6 sts, and divide evenly onto 3 dpns, and join in the round.

Round 1: kfb [12 sts].

Rnd 2: k.

Rnd 3: (k, kfb, kfb, k) 3 times [18 sts].

Rnd 4: k.

Rnd 5: (kfb, k4, kfb) 3 times [24 sts].

Rnd 6: k.

Rnd 7: (k2, kfb, k2, kfb, k2) 3 times [30 sts].

Rnd 8: k.

Rnd 9: (k3, kfb, k2, kfb, k3) 3 times [36 sts].

Rnd 10: k.

Rnd 11: (kfb, k2, kfb, k4, kfb, k2, kfb) 3 times [48 sts].

Rnd 12: k.

Rnd 13: (k4, kfb, k6, kfb, k4) 3 times [54 sts].

Rnd 14: k.

Rnd 15: (k3, kfb, k2, kfb, k4, kfb, k2, kfb, k3) 3 times [66 sts].

Rnd 16: k.

Rnd 17: (k5, kfb, k10, kfb, k5) 3 times [72 sts].

Next Rnd: Start base triangles. Versions A & B.

Row 1: With RS facing, k1, turn.

R 2 and all WS rows: p all, turn.

R 3: sl1, k, turn.

R 5: sl1, k2, turn.

R 7: sl1, k3, turn.

R 9: sl1, k4, turn.

R 11: sl1, k5. Don’t turn.

Repeat R 1 – 11 to the end of the round.

For ver.A, you will have 12 base triangles, and for ver.B, 9 base triangles.

Next Rnd: Start first tier of blocks. Versions A & B.

First block in Tier 1.

Row 1: With RS facing, pu 6 sts kwise along edge of base triangle on the left, i.e. from base to tip. Then turn.

R 2 and all WS rows: sl1 pwise, p4, p2tog, turn.

R 3: k6, turn.

Repeat R 2 & 3 for six more times. Don’t turn on the sixth WS row.

Second, and subsequent blocks in Tier 1.

Row 1: With WS facing, pu 6 sts pwise along edge of base triangle on the right, i.e. from tip to base. Then turn.

R 2 and all RS rows: k6, turn.

R 3: sl1 pwise, p4, p2tog, turn.

Repeat R 2 & 3 for six more times. Don’t turn on the sixth WS row.

Repeat steps for Second, and subsequent blocks in Tier 1, to end of round.

For ver.A, you will have 12 blocks, and for ver.B, 9 blocks.

Next Rnd: Start second tier of blocks. Versions A & B.

First block in Tier 2.

Row 1: With WS facing, pu 6 sts pwise along edge of base triangle on the left, i.e. from base to tip. Then turn.

R 2: sl1, k4, k2tog, turn.

R 3 and all WS rows: p6, turn.

Repeat R 2 & 3 for six more times. Don’t turn on the sixth RS row.

Second, and subsequent blocks in Tier 2.

Row 1: With RS facing, pu 6 sts kwise along edge of base triangle on the right, i.e. from tip to base. Then turn.

R 2 and all WS rows: p6, turn.

R 3: sl1, k4, k2tog, turn.

Repeat R 2 & 3 for six more times. Don’t turn on the sixth RS row.

Repeat steps for Second, and subsequent blocks in Tier 2, to end of round.

Next Rnd: Start third tier of blocks. Versions A & B.

First block in Tier 3.

Repeat steps for First block in Tier 1, picking up sts from blocks rather than triangles.

Second, and subsequent blocks in Tier 3.

Repeat steps for Second, and subsequent blocks in Tier 1, picking up sts from blocks rather than triangles.

Next Rnd:

Ver.A: Proceed (leap to) to next round of steps (Continue in straight St st.)

Ver.B. Start fourth tier of blocks, and continue until Tier 7.

Tiers 4 and 6.

Repeat steps for First block in Tier 2, picking up sts from blocks rather than triangles.
Repeat steps for Second, and subsequent blocks in Tier 2, picking up sts from blocks rather than triangles.

Tier 7.

Repeat steps for First block in Tier 1, picking up sts from blocks rather than triangles.
Repeat steps for Second, and subsequent blocks in Tier 1, picking up sts from blocks rather than triangles.

Next Rnd: Final Tier of triangles in-the-round. Versions A & B.

Work the final tier of triangles to create a horizontal line of live sts at top of the entrelac section.

First triangle in Final Tier.

Row 1: With WS facing, pu 6 sts pwise along edge of block on the right, i.e. from base to tip. Then turn.

R 2: k5, ssk, turn.

R 3: p5, wrap next st, turn.

R 4: k4, ssk, turn.

R 5: p4, wrap next st, turn.

R 6: k3, ssk, turn.

R 7: p3, wrap next st, turn.

R 8: k2, ssk, turn.

R 9: p2, wrap next st, turn.

R 10: k, ssk, turn.

R 11: p, wrap next st, turn.

R 12: ssk. Don’t turn.

Second, and subsequent triangles in Final Tier.

Row 1: With RS facing, pu 6 sts kwise along edge of block on the left, i.e. from tip to base. Transfer last pu st to needle on left, ssk. Then turn.

R 2: p5, wrap next st, turn.

R 3: k4, ssk, turn.

R 4: p4, wrap next st, turn.

R 5: k3, ssk, turn.

R 6: p3, wrap next st, turn.

R 7: k2, ssk, turn.

R 8: p2, wrap next st, turn.

R 9: k, ssk, turn.

R 10: p, wrap next st, turn.

R 11: ssk. Don’t turn.

Repeat R 1 – 11 to end of round.

Next Rnd: continue in St st in-the-round.

Version A.

k 2 rounds.

Next rnd (45 rounds): *knit twin stem leaves pattern. rep * 3 times.

[Twin stem leaves pattern: see ‘Three Leaf Mitts’ free pattern by Brenda KB Anderson. Start with Right Leaf, and continue with Left Leaf on each needle. Leave out the pattern rep for Rnds 6-17].

NR: k.

NR: *k4, yo, k2tog; rep * 12 times.

NR: k.

bo loosely, and weave in ends.